Town Clerk & Tax Collector Hours:

Mon. - Tues., Fri. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thurs. - 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Wed. -  Closed

History:

In 1737 Jacob Putnam of Salem, MA set out to explore a wilderness area known as Salem-Canada, to the west of the Merrimack River, with the idea of making a new life for himself and his family away from the strictures of Puritan rule. Impressed by the possibilities of what he had seen, he and his brother Ephraim returned to what is now Wilton, erected log shelters, and began the arduous task of clearing the forest so as to farm the land.

By 1739 both John Badger and John Dale, with their families, had joined the Putnams and Wilton now had a permanent settlement. Many others followed in their wake over the next few years, and by 1750 the first church in Wilton was built, a log structure that stood for almost 20 years near the site of today's Unitarian Church. By 1761 the settlers in Wilton had petitioned the Royal Governor of NH, Benning Wentworth, to incorporate as the Town of Wilton (named after the old borough town in Wiltshire, England), and in 1762 a charter was granted and the first official Town meeting was held.

A second act of incorporation followed in 1765, and soon thereafter the town voted to erect a school, carve roads and build bridges through the forest, and build mills to make lumber, starch and cloth. By the time of the American Revolution, Wilton was a thriving town with a population of 623 people, and in the years following our separation from Great Britain the town grew at a rapid pace.